Here are some illustrations of a very
successful ad for Perpetual investment management. It
has been in use for a considerable period of time and consistent use
can be considered a reasonable indicator of a successful ad.
For another ad with a considerably longer pedigree making use of a
similar feature see the Gibbs
SR ad. Americans are more familiar with Joe
Isuzu on a mountain top, complete with facial impression on the
mountainside.

Considering
that the Perpetual ad simply featured a mountain peak, one might ask
why it is so successful? The reason might be because it is not simply
a picture of a mountain peak. It is a mountain peak with face appeal
as closer attention to the areas circled in the rollover over images
(below right) will reveal.

Note
that towards the peak of the mountain there are some
of the features of a human face. Underneath a rounded
'cap', the 'face' has a rather broad, flattened, nose
that runs up into the forehead. Could
it be this that makes this a more appealing ad than
usual? In the rollover images there does, in fact,
seem to be more than one face that is evident. These
may be an artefact of the reduced size but note that
the faces each convey a different emotion, from concerned
to worried. This ad doesn't intend to convey
happiness,
that doesn't lead to taking out insurance. However,
it is unlikely that the 'faces' are simply artefacts.
The ad seeminlgy bears comparison with John Nash's
painting on Faces
Part I.

Incidentally,
an additional 'face' become evident when viewing the newspaper version
of this ad (illustrated left), rather than the magazine version. If
one applies a slight stretch of the imagination, the entire mountainside
can be perceived as one very angular face rather like an ape with
a diamond shaped snout and mouth. Believe it or leave it. The choice
is yours.

Here
is an example of the much more subtle type of face
that Marlboro ads are notorious for. Or at least they
would be notorious for if enough people knew about
the attempts by Philip Morris and Co to manipulate
the feelings and thoughts of smokers and others who
view their ads. The image on the left is an
extract from the advert illustrated below. It is extracted
from the chaps of the cowboy on the right.

Even
at relatively low resolution on a computer screen
you should be able to discern a profiled image of
a 'bust' looking towards the left. It is, admittedly,
not very clear and recognition of this 'face' relies to some extent upon a degree of familiarity
with the techniques used to embed such elements in
Marlboro ads in general. The rollover indicates its
position but does nothing to enhance its visibility.
Click on the rollover to take you to a larger image
of this part of the ad. If the 'bust' is still not
evident then viewers should review some of the Psychology
page contents to appreciate why, when extracted from
its natural context, an image can become less clear
rather than more readily visible.

This
'face' is notable for its line of gaze, as was the case in the Bergasol
ad discussed elsewhere on this site. If one follows the line
of sight of the bust you will end up looking at the crotch of the
cowboy in the centre.

Viewers
may speculate upon the message that this ad is intended to convey.
There are a number of possible interpretations. Which
one an individual will settle upon after unconsciously 'noticing'
the convergence of elements within the ad will depend upon their personal
preferences, experiences and knowledge.

Aficionados of
cigarette ads containing semi-subliminal elements might like to note
that another interesting 'face' intended to 'direct' attention can
be found in the Camel
ads. There one can see a small muppet like face, partially hidden
behind a smoke ring. This 'face' directs attention towards a
phallic shape 'slung' around the neck of a young man. This component
of the Camel ad is only one of a number of sexually related images
in the ad.

Artwork
incorporating semi-subliminal faces is not new, nor is it the prerogative
of the world of advertising. One example was discussed on the previous
page. Here is an illustration of a 15th Century painting, Primavera,
The Allegory of Spring, by Sandro Botticelli. The illustration
was extracted from an advert and is not a representation of the original
work. It may therefore may differ in some respects from
the original.

In
her book Learning to Look at Paintings, Mary Acton notes
that many thousands, if not millions, of words have been written about
this painting. Art historians and others focus on the grace, flow and sheer beauty of
the elongated figures in the painting. They also note
the iconography associated with the painting, that is the contemporary
philosophy and beliefs behind the painting. However, little,
if any, attention has been given to some semi-subliminal aspects of
the painting.

Situated
in the tree line at the top of the painting are a
number of masculine profiles. Three of these
have been circled on the extract from the painting
that is reproduced below.

Are
these 'faces' depicting a number of voyeurs taking a keen interest
in the ladies in the forest? Or do they have some other message?
The pair of figures situated on either side of Venus are facing outwards.
Are they guardians? Was Botticelli commenting in some
way on his patrons or local worthies?

Various
other adverts have used Botticelli's work of art to exemplify quality.
See, for example, the Peugeot ad on Mexico.htm.
This ad was based on Botticelli's painting The Birth of Venus and
it would seem to contain another example of Boticelli's semi-subliminal
technique. Other ad artists have also drawn upon the technique of
embedding a face or a representation of a face in the background.
The ad on the left, for example, uses
the dots following the word Dreamer to bring about the same effect.
In this instance the face (in a Klu Klux Klan type of hood)
is clearly facing towards the audience. This particular ad,
and others containing additional examples of semi-subliminal art work,
can be found on a US site devoted to subliminal advertising managed
by Poleshift.org.

This
is another ad with a number of distracting and disturbing
components. The Benson and Hedges ad is, ostensibly,
a collection of Mexican sombreros, fronds and cacti.
Together they form a 'Mexican Wave'. The rebus
thus complements the answer to the crossword
puzzle clue, 'Goodbye Gringo (8,4).

The
Mexican Wave ad actually 'hides' as much as it reveals. Most prominent
in the thumbnail version of the ad one might note a rather cheerless
'face' underneath the crest of the wave - the sombrero to the right
in mid air is the ear, the sombrero to its left and somewhat higher
is the eye. The 'face' has a small rounded chin and a very large,
blunt, whale-like 'nose' and the individual depicted is apparently
toothless or very tight lipped. By changing ones focal point the another
face can be viewed looking upwards. The eye remains the eye but below
that is the ear and a band of hair. This individual is almost bald.
The mouth is rather grim.

This
face may attract attention but it also serves to distract attention
from other elements of the ad. A closer look reveals that the
wave is composed from a variety of images, only some of which are
sombreros, cacti, etc. One set of 'features' can be found above
the 'mouth' of the larger figure. There is an additional
'face' at this point. This is illustrated below. It can
be found at the tip of the smaller wave. None of these figures is
cheerful. Other, equally, miserable faces will also be
discerned by interested viewers.

The
Mexican Wave is normally a heartening, socially participative,
activity, indulged in by sports audiences around the world.
This Benson and Hedges ad has given it a new twist. The
ad is intended to engender a negative mood in smokers and encourage
mood related smoking. The only wave that might then result
will be a wave as the final curtain covers the funeral casket.

In
conclusion one can note that faces can be used to convey a variety
of messages. They can trigger anxiety, help direct attention
or simply attract interest. When faces are semi-subliminal
rather than overtly presented it seems reasonable to assume
that there is an ulterior motive lying behind their use.

The
examples given above would seem to indicate that,
with few exceptions, embedded imagery is used solely
in attempts to manipulate the thoughts and emotions
of viewers. It would seem that as the
motives associated with specific campaigns become
more unsavoury and less socially acceptable then the
greater the likelihood that such images will be presented
close to the boundary of perceptual ability.

Examine
the ads on this page and elsewhere on this site carefully.
Then decide whether the ad agencies and companies
responsible for them were operating in an unethical
manner. If you feel like the figure on the
left then do your best to ensure that the Advertising
Standards Authority (ASA) acts to prevent recurrences
of any of the abuses of persuasive techniques that
irritated, embarrassed or annoyed you.

This page has multiple
parts: click to continue

You are on Part 2 and Parts 4-5 have yet to be
allocated

ï¿½

Commentary
and information about any of the ads or requests
on this Web site can be sent by e-mail to the
Webmaster

To
the best of the author's knowledge none of the
illustrations, in the format used on this site,
are subject to copyright. If copyright has been
inadvertently breached please contact the author
in order to rectify the matter. All brands and
logos referred to or illustrated on this site
are the property of the relevant companies and
copyright holders. However, commentary and other
information produced by the author can be freely
copied and distributed. Similarly, illustrations
of ads, so long as they are accompanied by commentary
or are presented in the form of parody, can also
be copied and distributed but please acknowledge
subliminalworld.com as the source. Translation
of tobacco company ads and relevant commentary
into languages other than English will be particularly
welcomed.